The Wizard of Speed and Time

We need this on DVD. 'nuff said. Anyone agree/disagree? .... anyone??

Tony

--
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Clare Quilty

"Clare Quilty" <> wrote:

> We need this on DVD. 'nuff said. Anyone agree/disagree?

I agree, but considering the ownership nightmare that this
film is, I suspect that we'll see a (legit) DVD release
sometime shortly after the heat death of the universe.

-- jayembee

jayembee

"jayembee" <> wrote...
> "Clare Quilty" <> wrote:
>
> > We need this on DVD. 'nuff said. Anyone agree/disagree?
>
> I agree, but considering the ownership nightmare that this
> film is, I suspect that we'll see a (legit) DVD release
> sometime shortly after the heat death of the universe.

I think ownership is solidly in the hands of the film's
creator Mike Jittlov. However Jittlov has not had
the resources or the money to stop all the illegitimate
releases of this film.

As for a DVD, there is a very well made DVD-R
done by a fan, with a transfer straight from the rare
laserdisc. The DVD is made with Jittlov's approval,
in fact it has a message from mike on load-up where
the typical FBI warning appears. Info on the DVD-R
can be found in the newsgroup alt.fan.mike-jittlov.

Meanwhile, Mike himself is eternally working on the
final cut for this film. All released versions of this
film have been incomplete workprints or versions
edited without his approval. The finished final
cut of the film will then appear on a Special Edition
DVD in some future, unknown, and unnamed date.

-Jay

Jay G

Jay G <> wrote:

> "jayembee" <> wrote...
> > "Clare Quilty" <> wrote:
> >
> > > We need this on DVD. 'nuff said. Anyone agree/disagree?
> >
> > I agree, but considering the ownership nightmare that this
> > film is, I suspect that we'll see a (legit) DVD release
> > sometime shortly after the heat death of the universe.
>
> I think ownership is solidly in the hands of the film's
> creator Mike Jittlov. However Jittlov has not had
> the resources or the money to stop all the illegitimate
> releases of this film.
>
> As for a DVD, there is a very well made DVD-R
> done by a fan, with a transfer straight from the rare
> laserdisc. The DVD is made with Jittlov's approval,
> in fact it has a message from mike on load-up where
> the typical FBI warning appears. Info on the DVD-R
> can be found in the newsgroup alt.fan.mike-jittlov.
>
> Meanwhile, Mike himself is eternally working on the
> final cut for this film. All released versions of this
> film have been incomplete workprints or versions
> edited without his approval. The finished final
> cut of the film will then appear on a Special Edition
> DVD in some future, unknown, and unnamed date.
>
> -Jay

Wow!

Interesting stuff.

I remember seeing Jittlov at (I think my memory might be hazy) the World
Sci Fi Con in LA in 1984, with a showing of this. If memory serves me
right, he said that everyone should go see "Buckaroo Banzai" over at the
Egyptian, before it closed down (or am I smushing several different
memories together?)

Peter Briggs

----------
In article <>, "Jay G" <>
wrote:


>
> "jayembee" <> wrote...
>> "Clare Quilty" <> wrote:
>>
>> > We need this on DVD. 'nuff said. Anyone agree/disagree?
>>
>> I agree, but considering the ownership nightmare that this
>> film is, I suspect that we'll see a (legit) DVD release
>> sometime shortly after the heat death of the universe.
>
> I think ownership is solidly in the hands of the film's
> creator Mike Jittlov. However Jittlov has not had
> the resources or the money to stop all the illegitimate
> releases of this film.
>
> As for a DVD, there is a very well made DVD-R
> done by a fan, with a transfer straight from the rare
> laserdisc. The DVD is made with Jittlov's approval,
> in fact it has a message from mike on load-up where
> the typical FBI warning appears. Info on the DVD-R
> can be found in the newsgroup alt.fan.mike-jittlov.
>
> Meanwhile, Mike himself is eternally working on the
> final cut for this film. All released versions of this
> film have been incomplete workprints or versions
> edited without his approval. The finished final
> cut of the film will then appear on a Special Edition
> DVD in some future, unknown, and unnamed date.
>
It would be nice if this release could include the original 10-minute short
film of the same name that preceded the feature by several years. I remember
seeing it--once-- at some animation festival in (possibly) the late 70s. At
that time no one had ever heard of Jittlov or his film and it took everyone
by surprise-- I don't think I've ever heard an audience laugh so hard. I
remember thinking that the feature seemed kind of bloated by comparison...
>
>

G. M. Watson

"G. M. Watson" <> wrote ...
> In article <>, "Jay G" <>
> wrote:
> > The finished final
> > cut of the film will then appear on a Special Edition
> > DVD in some future, unknown, and unnamed date.
> >
> It would be nice if this release could include the original 10-minute
short
> film of the same name that preceded the feature by several years. I
remember
> seeing it--once-- at some animation festival in (possibly) the late 70s.
At
> that time no one had ever heard of Jittlov or his film and it took
everyone
> by surprise-- I don't think I've ever heard an audience laugh so hard. I
> remember thinking that the feature seemed kind of bloated by comparison...

Practically *any* feature film would look bloated in comparison
to that short. I believe the person who produced the DVD-R
of the feature is working on a 2nd, and possibly 3rd, DVD that
will include most of Jittlov's shorts. In the meantime, the short
film is available for download as part of a demo reel Mike made
to showcase his talents.

http://www.cultivatetwiddle.com/wizard.htm
http://www.wizworld.com/

-Jay

Jay G

"Jay G" <> wrote:

> "jayembee" <> wrote...
>>
>> I agree, but considering the ownership nightmare that
>> this film is [...]
>
> I think ownership is solidly in the hands of the film's
> creator Mike Jittlov. However Jittlov has not had
> the resources or the money to stop all the illegitimate
> releases of this film.

The VHS and LD releases were "illegitimate"? This is news
to me. They certainly weren't what Jittlov wanted (neither
was the film itself), but everything that I'd read suggested
that Richard Kaye owned the film.

> As for a DVD, there is a very well made DVD-R
> done by a fan, with a transfer straight from the rare
> laserdisc. The DVD is made with Jittlov's approval,
> in fact it has a message from mike on load-up where
> the typical FBI warning appears. Info on the DVD-R
> can be found in the newsgroup alt.fan.mike-jittlov.

Interesting, but considering that I already have the LD...

-- jayembee

jayembee

"G. M. Watson" <> wrote:

> It would be nice if this release could include the original
> 10-minute short film of the same name that preceded the
> feature by several years. I remember seeing it--once-- at
> some animation festival in (possibly) the late 70s. At that
> time no one had ever heard of Jittlov or his film and it
> took everyone by surprise-- [...]

As far as I know, Jittlov had made it as a segment for a TV
special on special effects that Disney had made as a promo
for THE BLACK HOLE. Which should come as no surprise to those
who are familiar with the plot of the feature film.

I taped the special it at the time, and probably still have
it somewhere -- although I might've copied off the Jittlov
segment and reused the original tape. The segment does have
some (rather extraneous, to be honest) small amount of footage
of Mike that's not in the short.

> I remember thinking that the feature seemed kind of bloated
> by comparison...

Only if you're looking at the feature as no more than a longer
version of the short. They really are nothing at all alike.
The short was simply a showcase of visual effects with an
amusing "plot" (for lack of a better word). The feature was
a loving examination of both the joys and frustrations of the
filmmaking experience.

Now if you want to compare the version of the short that appears
in the feature with the original version, that's another thing
altogether (I prefer the original, but if the redone version
had been the only one that existed, I would think it just dandy).

I don't know who has what rights to the original short. Jittlov
owns it and certainly has the rights to show it at festivals and
the like, but does Disney have some rights to it that might
prevent it from appearing on a hypothetical DVD? I'd always
assumed that Jittlov "remade" it to include in the feature
because he couldn't use the original for rights reasons.

-- jayembee

jayembee

"jayembee" <> wrote
> I don't know who has what rights to the original short. Jittlov
> owns it and certainly has the rights to show it at festivals and
> the like, but does Disney have some rights to it that might
> prevent it from appearing on a hypothetical DVD?

I don't think so. From the WOSAT presskit, which Jittlov
himself wrote:
http://www.sff.net/people/Corgi/press1.htm

Luckily Jittlov retained the rights to his Wizard footage,
retitled it and redid its soundtrack, and "The Wizard of
Speed and Time" became an immensely popular short at
film festivals and screenings around the world.

> I'd always assumed that Jittlov "remade" it to include in the feature
> because he couldn't use the original for rights reasons.

Again from the presskit:

"Kaye also decided we should refilm the Wizard Run
sequence, and have me run run through Japan, Europe,
famous cities and locations, it'd really wow the distributors.
I asked what the Wizard was supposed to be doing in
all the locations, but he said I'd figure it out, we had to
leave immediately. His confidence was unshakable."

-Jay

Jay G

"Jay G" <> wrote in message
news:...
>
> "jayembee" <> wrote...
> > "Clare Quilty" <> wrote:
> >
> > > We need this on DVD. 'nuff said. Anyone agree/disagree?
> >
> > I agree, but considering the ownership nightmare that this
> > film is, I suspect that we'll see a (legit) DVD release
> > sometime shortly after the heat death of the universe.
>
> I think ownership is solidly in the hands of the film's
> creator Mike Jittlov. However Jittlov has not had
> the resources or the money to stop all the illegitimate
> releases of this film.
>
> As for a DVD, there is a very well made DVD-R
> done by a fan, with a transfer straight from the rare
> laserdisc. The DVD is made with Jittlov's approval,
> in fact it has a message from mike on load-up where
> the typical FBI warning appears. Info on the DVD-R
> can be found in the newsgroup alt.fan.mike-jittlov.
>
> Meanwhile, Mike himself is eternally working on the
> final cut for this film. All released versions of this
> film have been incomplete workprints or versions
> edited without his approval.

Really?! I have the tape version, it's not legit?!


The finished final
> cut of the film will then appear on a Special Edition
> DVD in some future, unknown, and unnamed date.
>
> -Jay
>
>

Vector Viper